The title has been won by a French driver on four occasions, all of which were victories for Alain Prost.

Pierre Gasly made his debut for Scuderia Toro Rosso at the 2017 Malaysian Grand Prix.

He was then promoted to Red Bull Racing for 2019 after Daniel Ricciardo left the team, before being demoted back to Toro Rosso mid-season.

At the 2020 Italian Grand Prix, Gasly became the first French driver to win an F1 race since Olivier Panis in 1996.

As of 2024[update] he is the most recent race winner, having won the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix.